If you want a sense of how stressful it's been for 50 Cent to release his third album, just look at the CD cover. Whereas his first two albums featured portraits that exuded confidence and authority -- a rippling torso coupled with a menacing glare -- 50's new album out Tuesday, "Curtis," shows a seemingly frustrated 50, hands on his head, an extreme close-up accenting his furrowed brow.

Ever since the hip-hop showdown between Kanye West's Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis was set for Tuesday, 50 has flexed like a heavyweight champ unconcerned about his challenger's punching power. His initial reaction: West's label, Def Jam, wouldn't dare let its star go head-to-head with him and he vowed to quit rapping if West's album outsold his.

When Diddy moved his Bad Boy Entertainment label from Universal Records to Atlantic, he found himself suddenly partnering with some longtime competitors. Warner Music Group chairman and CEO Lyor Cohen and other top executives had spent 10 years at rival Def Jam, and now they'd be the ones to inspire him and help end the label's three-year slump.